


I'm With Crazy

by FunkyinFishnet



Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Angst, Developing Relationship, F/M, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-15
Updated: 2014-08-15
Packaged: 2018-02-13 06:12:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2140107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FunkyinFishnet/pseuds/FunkyinFishnet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Paige struggles with moving on from her relationship with Seth Rollins as he tries to persuade her to join the Authority. But Paige prefers loyalty and knows how to put on an act to fool both the Authority and Seth. Roman Reigns and especially Dean Ambrose know her better; they know where her rage and anger lies. They know the value of loyalty and friendship, so does Paige.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'm With Crazy

**Author's Note:**

> Set back when Paige was Divas Champion for the first time in 2014.

 

 

Dean was snarling at her again. Paige pressed her lips together for a moment and then snarled back. Dean briefly looked almost pleased, maybe even impressed, then he got right back to snarling at her again. Paige was used to it; he'd been taking his anger and pain out on her ever since Seth had stabbed him in the back. Of course Dean sometimes forgot that he wasn't the only one who'd been hurt by Seth.

 

Paige turned back to the cup of tea that she was making, Dean still ranting nearby. She pushed a full coffee mug across the counter towards him. He paused and snatched it up, unaffected by its hot temperature. He sniffed it, one eyebrow curling upwards. Paige rolled her eyes; yes, she did know how he took his coffee. He nodded jerkily, the only thank-you that she was going to get, and then drained half the cup. He didn't even flinch.

 

Paige could feel him looking at her as she stirred milk into her tea. A flicker of something hot wended its way through her. It was just her and Dean occupying the kitchen. Roman was working out with free weights in the living room and Renee was back at her hotel, making sure that any Authority figures found her exactly where she was supposed to be. She had a production meeting to prepare for as well, where she was going to be the professional sparky broadcast journalist that Stephanie McMahon seemed to like so much. Renee was really well-placed in the WWE and she couldn't give that up. Dean and Roman didn't want her to but she didn't want to lose them either and so she was walking an impressively fine line, for her sake and theirs. Paige admired that tremendously, Renee was fiercely loyal and furious with the Authority but she kept all of that professionally hidden at work because she had a job to do that she loved. Everyone understood that.

 

Dean bumped against Paige’s shoulder and handed her the sugar. He knew how she took her tea. Paige nodded her thanks and there was that look on Dean's face again, that pleased look. Then he stomped purposefully out of the room, clutching his coffee. Paige shook her head; Seth's decision had made them all a little crazy but it looked like it'd sent Dean even closer to the edge. Paige's stomach swooped and she mentally shoved that, the heat, and the now-all-too-familiar pain down before it could overwhelm her.

 

That night, she slept at Dean’s back. She wore a threadbare _Buffy_ t-shirt and comfortable old underwear. Her hair was a mess and in need of washing and Dean complained whenever it tickled his neck and shoulders. He didn’t tell her to sleep elsewhere though and the heat kept her warm and smiling.

 

*

 

They had it all worked out, Paige left wherever the Shield were camping out early and went to the nearest gym or got herself breakfast at a local café and then headed back to the hotel that WWE talent were using in that particular city. As it was well-known that she was restless and rarely slept the whole night, preferring to walk around and fritter away her time elsewhere, no one asked where she’d been. Basically she had a normal morning, acting like she hadn't just spent a night with people who were right at the top of the Authority's hitlist. Like Renee, she wanted to keep her job. She was Divas Champion; Hunter was pleased that she was doing so well on the main roster after conquering NXT because it made him look good, NXT was his baby after all. So Paige was currently standing firmly on the Authority's good side and where nobody could connect her to the remains of the Shield. It was where she was aiming to stay, for now.

 

Paige was good at it, she could handle most things. She'd been wrestling professionally since she was thirteen years old, she'd worked for her parents, she'd wrestled her mother, she'd been the first NXT Divas Champion, she'd won the WWE Divas Championship on her first night on Raw. She could handle it all, taking on every obstacle with a screaming rage, but things still hurt, especially when it came to Seth.

 

“Paige!”

 

And he had to know it. As much as Paige wanted to punch him in the face, she didn't. She didn't even bother turning around, she just kept on walking at the exact same pace, her heart hammering like a good bass riff, because there was a plan and if she acted upset like he'd meant something to her then the Authority might start asking questions and making connections. Paige wasn't going to give him or them the satisfaction.

 

For some reason, she could hear Dean's voice in her head, reminding her to keep going because if she gave Seth anything to work with, then he'd find a way to cruelly use it against her. Dean and Roman had both reacted badly when Seth had spoken about them on-screen, claiming that Dean was a maniac and that Roman was an unstable volcano and that they both needed him to guide and temper them. All the good times that they'd spent on the road together and Seth was gleefully finding ways to tear apart his former friends, no, wait, his former _business associates_. Everything was just business to him, wasn't it?

 

“Paige!”

 

Her bag was slung over her back and suddenly, she could feel someone yanking back on it. She skidded to a halt and paused to grab her thoughts, clenching her teeth, before turning to face Seth. There he was, dressed in a black suit that had to be tailored. It was nice work and he looked edible, his hair was too groomed though, all tied back like that. Paige liked him more unbuttoned and wild. She made sure that none of her thoughts showed on her face. Instead, she just looked irritated and maybe a bit surprised to see him. He looked even more surprised by her expression. Good. She'd be happy to twist the knife further.

 

She pulled a ready earbud out of her ear, her expression a little close to pissed-off. It was really good to see how confused and irked Seth was by the entire situation. She waited for him to speak and when he didn't, pointedly pulled her bag out of his grip.

 

“Are you all right?” she asked, amusement slipping into her voice. It was a good cover for the fury that she was feeling while facing him.

 

Seth's frown deepened. “You've been getting my texts, right?”

 

It was Paige's turn to frown as she unzipped her jacket to retrieve her phone. Inside she was grinning because she had Seth exactly where she wanted him. She was turning the tables. Dean would love hearing about this.

 

She frowned down at her phone and mashed the buttons with her thumb, shaking her head in annoyance. Inside she was crowing because of course she’d gotten Seth's texts, she just hadn’t been replying to them. Once she'd read the first one – _you've got this chance too, be smart and take it_ – she'd almost smashed her phone to pieces in response. But Roman had pointed out in his cool smoky way that she should keep hold of it, that she shouldn’t let Seth think that she was running from him or towards the Shield. Seth evidently actually cared about her, which was now a sickening thought but one that they could use against him and the Authority.

 

So she'd bought herself a new phone and had only given that number to her closest friends, her parents, Dean, Roman and Renee. Nobody else knew it existed. An NXT friend of hers, Solomon Crowe, had fixed it so that certain calls and messages sent to her old phone, especially those from the office, were routed to her new one without anyone realising that she’d switched devices. She owed Solomon a good crate of beer, maybe a night in of gaming or a night out causing mayhem. It'd been while since they'd done that. She'd never told Seth about Solomon, there were some things that she still kept close to her chest, just in case. Her parents had always taught her that in this business, you ultimately stood alone so you should never give everything up, you never knew what you'd need down the road.

 

She kept her old phone charged to keep up the illusion, but she wasn't using it anymore in her day-to-day life. She didn’t want Seth’s name flashing up before her eyes every day.

 

“My phone's playing up again,” she grumbled, shoving it back into her pocket before Seth could grab it and realise how long it'd been since she'd actually used it. “Sorry.”

 

Seth was still looking at her, like he really wanted to touch her. She was surprised that he didn't just grab her without permission, since he was all about taking what he wanted for himself nowadays. But he didn't and there was something in his gaze that she recognised, the well-buried sweetness that he'd once allowed her to see all the time and that she’d really liked. It made pain lance through her because it hadn’t been enough, had it? Ambition and power had come first for Seth. So the way he cared about her wasn’t worth half as much as he thought it was.

 

“We should catch up,” he said, like it was actually a suggestion.

 

Maybe it was, in his mind. Paige shifted her weight; she could feel her phone, her new phone, vibrating in his jeans pocket. That'd be Emma, wondering why Paige hadn't joined her in craft services yet. Paige didn't react to it though, she just looked thoughtful.

 

“Maybe we should,” she said, then checked her watch. “Sorry, I've got to...Emma's waiting for me.”

 

And with that, she quickly walked away. She didn't look back though she knew that he was staring at her. She knew what it felt like to be the object of Seth's attention. Pain stabbed through her again and she gritted her teeth against it. Not here.

 

In craft services, Emma was chatting to Santino and gestured for Paige to grab herself a plate dinner. Paige was glad of the distraction and quickly piled up food before texting Roman, Renee and Dean the same message from her new phone – _Seth made a move. According to plan_. Emma waited at a table, Santino beside her, talking as he ate. Paige smiled and sat down beside Emma. Emma arched an eyebrow at her in clear question, Paige nodded, she was okay. Emma knew enough and didn't ask questions, she knew it was safer that way. And who would ask Emma serious questions about Paige anyway? She was the uncoordinated dancer who was just out there to have fun with the crowd. What did she know?

 

Paige grinned, Emma actually knew way more than anyone gave her credit for.

 

Paige could relax here, with Emma and Santino. It was exactly what she needed after her encounter with Seth. She still felt so angry but she couldn’t let it show. Well she could, as long as she disguised its source. So she retrieved her old phone from her jacket and glowered at it, popping the back off with one hand.

 

“He’s looking at you,” Emma reported out of the corner of her mouth, still smiling like she was talking about something completely different. “By the left-hand door.”

 

Paige didn’t bother looking, that would have been an amateur move. Santino raised his eyebrows and his hands, chips and spiced chicken spilling off his plate as he gestured.

 

“Of course, she is _bello_ , yes?” he smiled towards Emma then. “Ah, always I am surrounded by _bellezza_.”

 

Emma grinned and threw a tortilla chip at him. It bounced off his forearm and Santino scrambled to grab it, Emma trying to beat him to it but Santino won, popping the chip into his mouth with a triumphant ‘ha!’ Paige laughed, shaking her head. God, they were a tonic. Seth was watching her, probably trying to work out why she’d brushed him off so casually. Paige concentrated on her lunch and on her old broken-down phone, looking frustratedly at it before packing it all away again. She glanced at Emma who nodded; Seth was still there and was still watching her.

 

Well, Paige had places to be. She gathered everything up, told Emma that she’d see her later, and quickly headed for the exit not currently occupied by Seth. She almost collided with Dean who was stomping his way into the craft services area. Dean came to an abrupt halt and glared at her. Paige glared back; it wasn’t difficult to summon up the rage needed for this particular charade, even if at the same time she felt a little heated for a completely different reason.

 

“Taking over craft services?” Dean sneered at her, without a hint of an indication that he and Paige were actually friends.

 

Paige rolled her eyes at him. “Grow up, Dean. Some of us have championship belts to concentrate on.”

 

That was a sore spot and she saw his eyes flash correspondingly but she didn’t give him a chance to answer, pushing past him and stalking off down the hallway beyond. Anyone watching would have just seen a spat between two people who barely knew each other, because Dean was acting crazier than usual thanks to Seth and was taking it out on everyone around him except Roman. Even when she’d been hanging out Seth, the Shield had kept Paige’s connection to them hidden so that the Authority couldn’t use it against her or the Shield. Now, they had to fool Seth into thinking that this wasn’t actually an act now, that Dean really did despise Paige because he thought that she’d known all along about Seth’s plan and that she had similar ones of her own.

 

Emma pinged Paige’s phone; Seth had watched Paige’s confrontation with Dean avidly and afterwards he’d immediately rung someone on his mobile phone. Paige passed Renee in the corridor and didn’t stop to talk to her; she just raised a hand and smiled briefly, like she only knew Renee fleetingly. They’d have to talk about this later.

 

First though, as she reached the Divas locker room and began to get ready for the show, she got a message from Stephanie McMahon, calling her in for a meeting the next day. Seth had believed the bait or was suspicious and so thought that the Authority should seek further confirmation. Paige wasn’t going to act like he’d meant something to her, like he’d cracked her heart and gnawed away at it. She was going to keep up the pretence that Seth had been fun, a friend that she’d enjoyed going out with but God, more than that? His friend Dean had been paranoid then and worse now. The Shield had never taken to outsiders. Not a complete lie, Paige could sell it. She’d been selling half-truths for most of her life after all.

 

After the show, Adam Rose gave her a not-very-discreet lift back to the hotel that the WWE had booked for its roster that night. Paige laughed as she exited the Exotic Express; she always liked spending time with Adam. He was good company. Once inside, Paige used her new phone to send a message and then slipped out of the hotel’s back exit where a taxi was already waiting for her. At a different hotel, Dean scrutinised her.

 

“How are his moves?” he asked, thick with sarcasm and anger at the thought of Seth.

 

Paige’s smile said everything. “As painful as expected. I’ve got a meeting with the boss tomorrow morning.”

 

Dean barked out a laugh and then looked at her again, closely. His hand moved like he was going to touch her shoulder, his eyebrows telegraphing a question and concern that he didn’t know how to voice. Paige leaned a little closer, letting her anger and weariness show for the first time all day. God, it was so good to do that at last.

 

“He was actually confused; like he didn’t know why I hadn’t taken him up on his offer. He…he still cares.”

 

But it hadn’t been enough to keep him away from the Authority. Now he wanted to have his cake and eat it too and didn’t seem to see anything wrong with that. Dean touched her shoulder, then her arm, a rough genuine caress, exactly what she needed as heat trailed under her skin.

 

Roman arrived later – he’d been meeting with Renee. He proceeded to take up a lot of room in bed. Paige found his loud rumbling breaths soothing though. His huge hand was folded around hers, like an anchor. Dean was at her back, close but not presumptuously crowding. An immovable object.

 

*

 

Paige didn’t dress up for her meeting with Stephanie. She wore decent trousers instead of her usual jeans though with a dark glittering button-down blouse and her usual black leather jacket over everything. She carried her championship belt with her of course and a leather shoulder-bag. Before she’d left that morning, Dean had looked at her for a long uninterrupted moment. It’d made heat burn through Paige and she’d smiled a little slyly back. Both of them were bruised and battered thanks to Seth, and Dean's thought-processes were skewed at best. But they valued the same things and more often than not they were forging towards similar goals. Paige had always been drawn to chaos and Dean's consistent craziness was one of the few things that she could trust right now. Frankly, it was the least of her worries.

 

Yeah, the heat wasn't surprising at all.

 

Stephanie was waiting in her office and got an intern to bring Paige coffee, Paige wasn’t going to chance the tea. Stephanie smiled and said how proud they were of Paige’s progress and what a great example she was of how NXT could really elevate a talent. Paige smiled back, a little overwhelmed, and thanked her.

 

Then the coffee arrived and Stephanie’s expression became fractionally sharper. Paige spotted the change though, she knew what to look for, she was the daughter of a wrestling boss too.

 

“Now in order for you to keep moving forward in your career, you need to make sure that you’re in the best position possible, talking to the right people, making the right moves out there and backstage.”

 

Here we go.

 

Paige nodded attentively. “Of course.”

 

She waited for what she knew was coming next and tried not to jiggle her right foot. Stephanie continued, looking like a cat who was playing with a mouse. Or so she thought.

 

“I hear that you're a fan of the Shield and that they're fans of your work too.”

 

Paige’s eyes widened and she laughed lightly, a little in disbelief. “Woah, well, I wouldn’t say I'm a fan really. I mean I knew them at NXT before all of this happened. I had no idea they even knew each other or got along. Seth was fun and we hung out a few times but-.”

 

“A few times?”

 

Ah, Stephanie had jumped on that. Paige nodded a little, her smile completely natural as she remembered how much she’d enjoyed spending time with Seth, how vividly her skin had buzzed whenever they’d touched. She remembered kissing him and feeling something warm and good crack open inside of her. It hadn’t been enough for Seth though, had it? Paige kept that pain securely locked down for now and returned to the subject in hand. For once, she started acting her age.

 

She gave an embarrassed little laugh and sort of shrugged, every inch her twenty-one years “After the shows, we went out sometimes, you know, to a bar or an arcade. It was fun.”

 

That much was true. The best way to tell a false story was to mix some truth in. Stephanie looked at her closely and Paige stayed younger than she truly felt inside.

 

“You wouldn't consider Roman or Dean friends of yours?”

 

Paige's laugh now was sharp and bitter. “Well, neither of them play well with others? And Dean was so paranoid, I mean he's even worse now obviously, but he really didn't want anyone outside of the group around. Roman was inclined to agree with him and Seth didn't want to make things worse so I didn't hang out with them.”

 

More truth and lies. Dean was paranoid, more than most and with good reason it turned out, and he hadn't been thrilled when Seth had started seeing Paige but he'd come around. He'd never been overly friendly but he hadn't complained, much. Stephanie was looking almost convinced so Paige went in for the kill. She leaned in a little, frowning and worried.

 

“Seth hasn't _said_ something, has he? Only...”

 

It was Stephanie's turn to lean in, intrigued and evidently hungry for gossip. “Only what?”

 

Got her.

 

Paige looked embarrassed and young; it was an easy enough skin to slip into. She'd felt that way several times since joining the WWE. She looked up through her eyelashes at Stephanie who nodded encouragingly and supportively, every inch the benevolent boss.

 

“He's...well, you know sometimes how some people see stuff that isn’t really there? Sort of reading into things too much?”

 

She grimaced and saw a flash of understanding cross Stephanie's face. Paige very deliberately didn't smile, not even a little. In fact, she just looked more uncomfortable.

 

“You're saying that Seth...”

 

“Was more invested than I was, yeah,” Paige finished for her quickly. “I mean, he's a nice guy and impressive obviously, aligning with the Authority like that. But I thought I was clear with him about us. It was just fun, nothing serious, and the whole Shield thing made things _very_ difficult. Too much trouble, you know?”

 

She looked weary and uncomfortable then and Stephanie nodded. “Of course, it happens a _lot_ around here. Well, if the Shield do approach you, for any reason, you have my number.”

 

Paige nodded rapidly, appearing relieved and grateful. “Thanks, really. Dean's been crazy towards me since everything happened. He's probably only going to get worse.”

 

Stephanie looked satisfied and Paige smiled just a little bit, because here was a chance to bond with the boss, when would she next get this kind of opportunity? “I can't thank you enough, you know, you and Hunter. He was great to me at NXT.”

 

Stephanie looked even more satisfied. “Well, you impressed him, in and out of the ring. So you should be very proud.”

 

“Oh I am, it's all a bit unbelievable really. My parents say it all the time and they've been in the business since before I was born.”

 

Stephanie's eyes lit up so Paige began telling stories about her amazing crazy parents who'd been part of the industry for years and how they hadn’t encouraged her to join up until she’d shown willing and passion and then there she was, wrestling her first match as a young teenager. Stephanie seemed interested and even offered a couple of stories of her own about growing up a McMahon, steeped in the WWE. Paige drank it all in; it was really nice to witness Stephanie's passion for the industry. But while Stephanie might evidently love the WWE, she’d been brought up to always do business a certain distinctive way – dominantly. Stephanie had to get her own way and if people didn't get in line with it, then they suffered.

 

Paige left Stephanie's office feeling triumphant with Stephanie's business card tucked into her jacket pocket. The card had Stephanie's own number on it, not just her assistant's who usually screened everybody calling the boss. Progress indeed.

 

Renee smiled at her in the hallway “Hey Paige, how are you?”

 

Paige smiled back like she hadn't seen Renee that very morning and nodded towards her title belt. “Right now, I'd have to say I am pretty good.”

 

“You do look very shiny. Can I get you for an interview later?”

 

“Sure, come find me.”

 

Saying their goodbyes, the two headed in opposite directions. If Seth or anyone was watching for the Authority, they'd just see two people making small talk. Paige was friendly with several of the Divas after all and Roman had kept his relationship with Renee quiet, silent in fact. Dean and Paige had only found out about it after Seth’s betrayal and Seth still didn't know about it. Roman was a private guy, particularly when it came to his personal life. Thank God.

 

He and Renee had been smart about it. Paige knew that Roman counted Dean as his best friend and he'd felt the same way about Seth but like Paige, Roman had grown up in the business, with wrestling relatives as far as the eye could see. Like Paige, he knew the importance of keeping things to yourself, keeping them from even his closest friends. After everything that had happened, he'd been right to.

 

Paige was ready for whatever the future flung her way, more betrayals, better fights or worse. She wore sharp-edged jewellery and had spent almost her whole life surrounded by the business. She'd do what she could to help her friends but she'd always keep an eye on her own back too. Just like Dean and Roman. She was loyal, she wasn't stupid.

 

As she walked through the building, Paige shrugged off the youth that she often brought completely to the fore when talking to people like Stephanie. It was part of who she was, sure, she was young and she was excited about working in the WWE and she did like Stephanie, she admired her for all that she'd achieved. But Paige had always felt older than she was, maybe because of how young she'd been when she'd started in such a challenging business. All that bubbly youth, it was only a piece of her, not everything. She'd learnt from her mother how to pull out whatever part of herself needed to dominant in any given situation. It wasn't always easy or comfortable being a woman in this industry so her mother had taught her not only how to survive but how to _thrive_.

 

Paige could feel eyes on her as she walked, maybe because of the title belt slung over her shoulder. Maybe Seth was watching her, or one of the Authority's spies. Right now the Authority thought that she was eager to please and move forward in the WWE, they thought that she’d do what they told her to, maybe they thought that they could mould her. True, she could play her part to perfection, but if the Authority pushed her completely to the edge, wanting something out of her that she wasn’t willing to give, then she’d push right back and show everyone in very vivid terms that she wasn't ever going to be a total puppet and that she couldn't be bought.

 

She knew how to achieve success, even greatness, without compromising. It was a long hard road and sometimes it was several steps back before a step forward could be gained but God, it was worth it. Success wasn’t really success if you had to give up part of yourself to achieve it. Success shouldn’t be easy; it should be earned through blood and tears. There was no other feeling like it, winning through that kind of clawing slog and pain, achieving _real_ heartfelt success. Paige knew that first-hand, thanks to her upbringing and her work on the independent wrestling circuit. So no matter how hard it got, she wasn’t going to sell herself. She wasn’t Seth.

 

*

 

She talked to her mum that night. Paige pressed her new phone to her ear and wandered outside onto a crummy motel balcony, listening to her mum's welcome Yorkshire tones. They talked about Paige's brother; he wrestled too of course as did Paige's stepbrother. They were both doing well, carving out a place for themselves in the family business. Paige could feel herself relax as she talked to her mum, her mum always knew what to say, blunt and humorous and a real survivor. She was highly thought of and for good reason, she didn't take any crap and she took on all comers. Paige loved and was frustrated by her in equal measures, typical really for a mother and daughter who'd spent so many years working together.

 

“How are you holding up, love?” her mum wanted to know, a thread in her tone revealing that she didn't want to be lied to, thanks.

 

Paige lowered her gaze and rubbed her knuckles against her bare thigh. Her mouth twisted as she thought about everything, the overwhelming mass of crazy that had been her life recently, even crazier than usual. She had to keep hold of so many threads and keep her eyes on so many people. But she wasn't alone, not even a little bit, she had friends the world at large knew about and some that very few were aware of. Right now, Renee was at the latest company-booked hotel, acting like a good employee excited for the next day’s work. She'd slip out later and come to Paige's motel before heading back in the morning so that she could ride to the next city with JBL and his nephew Clem. By then she'd have arrangements in place for when and where she'd next be meeting up with Roman. Paige was looking forward to seeing her; she missed Renee's sparky sincere company.

 

Roman had gone for a run; he'd tied all his hair back and had told Paige that he'd be back soon. He wasn't talkative by nature but what he did say was often weighty and important. He and Paige had a lot in common thanks to their similar backgrounds and sometimes they talked about that, the expectations laid on them both and the way that the industry fully got into your bones and refused to let you go. They talked about Seth sometimes too, Roman still had scars on his back and he recognised the depth of pain that Paige felt in a way that Dean sometimes didn't. He wasn't just a volcano; he had a clear deft mind that wasn't constantly clouded by rage no matter what Seth said to the contrary. Roman was going to go far, because of his own impressive abilities and because people like Seth would always underestimate him. Oh, he was going to make them _pay_. Paige couldn't wait.

 

“I've been better,” she confessed to her mother at last.

 

Because Seth still cared about her, or thought that he did, and wanted her to sell out like he had, oh wait, no, he wanted her to _buy in_. And he didn't see anything wrong with that. Paige knew that she was different to a lot of women in the wrestling industry – she didn't care that much about primping or looking appealing and she didn't care about the fame outside of wrestling that she could get thanks to the profile the WWE had given her. But she didn't think that it was unusual or particularly crazy to value loyalty and friendship over gaining power and prime position. The Shield had always been about the strength of a team being more important than one individual’s achievements. Somewhere along the line, Seth had forgotten that or had decided that the individual was actually more important, when the individual was him.

 

Maybe Dean wasn't so crazy after all. Maybe everybody else was instead.

 

Paige wrapped up her conversation with her mum and stared out at the city, at all the lights peering out at her from the darkness. Here she was, living her dream, Divas Champion in the WWE, and yet there was so much pain bottled up inside of her that she couldn't let out all that often, just in case. Her trademark screams during her entrance and in the ring helped a lot.

 

Someone's hands started working roughly on the tense knots in her back. Paige recognised the hands' calluses and worn skin. The fact that Dean was silent now said a lot. That heat was back, under her weariness and pain. Paige leaned into it and into him.

 

That night, Roman shared one of the motel room's double beds with Renee, the two of them in relieved harmony together. Paige smiled softly, she was glad for them both. Even now it was rare that she saw them together, Roman was sharply aware now of how things in his life could be used against him and Renee was determined not to be ammunition. Paige knew the feeling. She and Renee had a lot to talk about tomorrow before heading off to put on a show for the Authority.

 

Dean slept at Paige's back again; he swore when her shins crashed into his bruises unexpectedly and muttered loudly about the annoyance of her abundant hair. Paige jabbed him in the ribs, twice when he pinched her hard. The heat running through her hadn't gone anywhere; in fact it seemed to be growing.

 

When Dean finally did sleep, he did so with an arm curled tightly around her middle, his warm mouth mashed against her neck.

 

_-the end_


End file.
